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Head of Priest Abuse Panel Draws Ire With Comments

A remark comparing some Catholic church officials to the Mafia by former Gov. Frank Keating of Oklahoma, who is leading a national review board looking into the priest sexual abuse scandal, has infuriated members of his panel and prompted some to consider asking him to resign.

The published comments led to a sharp response from Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles, who was also the object of criticism by Mr. Keating. Board members say the public acrimony between the two is threatening to become a debilitating distraction from the board's work.

''The language on the part of Governor Keating is extremely unhelpful,'' said Jane Chiles, a board member and former director of the Kentucky State Catholic Conference and member of the Catholic Hospital Association. ''I would wish that the two of them could somehow have a civil conversation, but we may be past that point.''

Mr. Keating said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times this week that Cardinal Mahony was an example of bishops who were resisting providing the panel with complete information about the extent of the abuse of minors by priests. He said unnamed members of the church's hierarchy were acting ''like La Cosa Nostra'' in failing to live up to their commitment of openness.

The timing was particularly unfortunate, Ms. Chiles said, coming days before next week's meeting of the nation's bishops in St. Louis.

When asked if Mr. Keating should resign, she said: ''That's a decision we hope to achieve consensus around with all of the board. We are having a conversation around this particular dilemma right now -- the P.R. nightmare of our chair and one of the cardinals of the church duking it out in public.''

Two other board members, who spoke on condition they not be named, confirmed that the feeling was strong among members that the governor should consider stepping aside. One of the two said, ''of course'' Mr. Keating should resign. The other said: ''What he did was way over the line, and it gets in the way of our work. We can't allow this to interfere with what we're doing.''

A spokesman said Mr. Keating was traveling yesterday and was unavailable for comment, but said he stood by his comments. The former governor was appointed by Bishop Wilton J. Gregory, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, last June and answers to him. He has no set term of office.

Pamela D. Hayes, a lawyer in New York and member of the board, said it was important to avoid distractions that could harm the board's credibility. ''Frank is one person,'' she said. ''He has a right to say anything he wants to say. But you have to really ask yourself, 'Am I helpful in saying these kinds of things?' ''

Cardinal Mahony, in a statement on the archdiocesan Web site, called Mr. Keating's remarks ''irresponsible and uninformed.'' A spokesman for the archdiocese, Tod Tamberg, said yesterday: ''Comparing the church to an organization that kills people and deals drugs, that is just way out of line.''

From the beginning, Mr. Keating, a former prosecutor, has been perhaps more outspoken than the American church hierarchy bargained for, drawing the ire of bishops in the United States and officials in the Vatican. The day his appointment was announced, he suggested bishops responsible for covering up child abuse should be prosecuted for obstruction of justice or as accessories.

''Frank Keating feels passionately about these issues and is enormously troubled by the resistance we've experienced from some bishops,'' said Robert S. Bennett, a Washington lawyer who leads the board's task force on the causes of the crisis. ''However, he clearly crossed the line.''

At the root of the situation is the board's position: it answers to the very body that it is supposed to police. The acrimony, board members said, has put them in a tricky position. They worry that Mr. Keating's comments might give ammunition to the board's critics. At the same time, they also do not want to appear to have given in to Cardinal Mahony's pressure.

''I'm not surprised that it's come to this,'' said Sue Archibald, president of the Linkup, a nationwide organization of victims of clergy abuse based in Louisville, Ky. ''It seems as though a man like Frank Keating and the board are very respected people and are committed to the job they were appointed to. Problem is, the people they are working for don't feel they should be accountable to anyone.''

The bishops established the review board last June in Dallas, when they devised a nationwide policy on preventing molestation of minors by priests, called a ''Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.'' The charter called for swift suspensions of credibly accused priests, steps to guard against abuse and a process of self-examination to discover the causes. The review board was a key mechanism. It is supposed to study the causes through information provided by the bishops, monitor their performance and hold them accountable.

Compliance within the nation's 195 dioceses and archdioceses has varied. In California, attention has focused on a survey commissioned by the board to determine the extent of abuse nationwide.

The California bishops objected to the survey, arguing that it could put them in the position of violating state privacy laws. After the privacy concerns were addressed, the archdiocese agreed to complete the survey despite reservations, Mr. Tamberg said.